On the fact of embezzlement of funds provided for travel expenses and fuel costs for official cars in the Social Security Service (SSS) of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, 5 people have been charged.
As previously reported, on the basis of a request from the RA Minister of Finance, on October 15, 2018, materials have been sent to the General Prosecutor's Office about the inspections carried out by the SSS for the implementation of the budget for 2014-2017 from December 2017 to January 2018. As a result of studying the materials in the Department for Combating Corruption and Economic Crimes of the Prosecutor General's Office on October 18, 2018, a criminal case has been initiated on the grounds of part 2 of Article 308 of the RA Criminal Code and sent to the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia for preliminary investigation.
During the preliminary investigation, it was established that from January 2014 to September 2017, the head and deputy head of the SSS, on the basis of reports and oral statements by Service staff, to provide official vehicles with fuel for travel to various territorial departments of the SSS and business trips were given appropriate permits.
However, during the preliminary investigation, it was established that the Service employees did not actually go on business trips and, for mercenary reasons, by fraud, appropriated gasoline allocated for these purposes, causing the government damage in especially large amounts in the amount of 3.567.800 drams. According to the acquired evidence, it was also substantiated that false travel allowances have been submitted to the staff of the Service. On their basis fraud caused a total of 636.400 drams.
Based on sufficient evidence for reimbursement for gasoline and travel expenses, 6 employees of the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs have been charged under paragraph 1 of part 2 of article 178, under paragraph 1.1 and part 2 of article 314, and under part 1 of article 325 of the RA Criminal Code. /The head of the Information Technology Risks Department, the head of the Economic Department, 2 main specialists, the commandant, a consultant. / Damage caused by recorded violations, has been fully recovered. The investigation continues.
Note: Every person suspected in or charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed innocent unless proved guilty in the manner prescribed by the RA Criminal Procedure Code and unless the verdict comes into legal force.
